Rapids Drop 1-0 Decision to Columbus on the Road

June 27, 2010

COLUMBUS OH (Saturday May 13 2006)- Despite creating most of the scoring opportunities in the match the Colorado Rapids remained winless in their first two away games of the 2006 season as they dropped a 1-0 decision to the Columbus Crew tonight at Crew Stadium.

Goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul made his major league debut when he came into the game in the 10th minute substituting starting goalie Joe Cannon who went down with an injury. Condoul had started in the two Rapids Reserves games this year posting a 2-0 record with two shutouts.

Cannon will be evaluated by the team’s medical staff upon his return to Denver to determine the extent of his injury.

The first opportunity of the night for the Rapids came in the 29th minute when Jovan Kirovski’s 25-yard shot skipped off the hands of goalkeeper John Busch. The home team’s goalkeeper however was able to recover and reach the loose ball just before it crossed the goal line.

The constant rain that had been falling in the Columbus area for the last 24 hours made the game a difficult one for both goalkeepers as the ball became slippery and very hard to control.

In the 29th minute Nicolas Hernandez came close to scoring for the Rapids when he met a long cross from Dedi Ben-Dayan but his acrobatic volley sailed over the crossbar.

Only one minute later it was Ben-Dayan’s turn as he collected a give-and-go with Kirovski that left him in a scoring position inside of the Crew’s penalty area. The Israeli’s shot went just inches wide of the Crew goal.

Kyle Beckerman had a go with a 20-yard shot in the 65th minute but his effort also went just inches wide of Busch’s goal.

The lone goal of the night came in the 74th minute when Crew forward Ned Grabavoy dribbled past three Rapids defenders before unleashing a low shot that found the back of the Rapids net. It was the first offensive opportunity for the home team in most of the entire second half.

Coundoul came up big for the Rapids in the dying minutes of the game when he came off his line to smother a scoring opportunity for the Crew in the 89th minute.

The Rapids Reserve side is scheduled to take on the Columbus Crew Reserves tomorrow Sunday May 14 at 9:00 a.m. (MT) in Columbus.

The Rapids will continue their three-game road trip next Saturday May 20th when they visit the Los Angeles Galaxy at the Home Depot Center scheduled to be televided live on MLS Direct Kick.